HILARY AND JACKIE

SYNOPSIS:
In their close childhood, Hilary (Rachel Griffiths), a flautist, was considered the
greater talent than her younger sister Jackie (Emily Watson). Through practice and hard
work, however, Jackie elevated herself to her sister's level, and beyond. As an adult,
Hilary all but gave up the flute in favour of marriage and a family, while Jacqueline
chose fame and the concert stage. The price was a desperate yearning to have the stability
and happiness that Hilary had. Fate had other plans.

"The poignancy of Hilary and Jackie is underscored from the very first strains of
the cello's mellow tones and soulful song. Disturbing and moving, this glimpse of a
tragic, talented life is extraordinary by its frankness and made wonderful by the
performances. We've seen the range of Emily Watson's talents in Breaking the Waves, and
here, she is mesmerising. It's a complex role, and one that Watson embraces
wholeheartedly. She is impressively matched by Rachel Griffiths, who delivers a subtle
performance that is as internal as Watson's is external. We can feel Griffiths' every
thought, her every pain. This is certainly a vehicle to propel her talents into the
stratosphere. Effectively structured with two parts, each offering a singular, subjective
point of view, Frank Cottrell Boyce's excellent screenplay canvasses the issues of sibling
rivalry and unequivocal love. Based on the book by Hilary du Pre, this blatantly honest
view of her talented sister is heartfelt and telling. It is quite obvious that these 'peas
in a pod' whose telepathic abilities illustrated their closeness, both suffered
enormously. Powerful and dramatic, this story of obsession and passion is coloured by a
soaring soundtrack that is both jolting and emotive. Strains from Elgar, Bach, Hayden,
Handel and Dvorjak are strident, fervent, yet gentle and often simply beautiful. Hilary
and Jackie is not always comfortable to watch – but throughout, there is a strong
integrity of passionate film making, approached confidently and with authority. Throughout
the troubled life of this celebrated artist, the applause is never enough; we are
fortunate in that we can continue to enjoy du Pre's extraordinary talents through
recordings and records such as this memorable film."Louise Keller

"The old adage that truth is stranger than fiction gets another outing in this
emotionally charged film, at least as eloquent cinematically as another successful biopic
about a unique musician, Shine. The film feels real, although afterwards I had the feeling
that everyone (with any clout in the process) was always consciously trying to make a
balanced portrait of the deceased Jackie. Not that this is a bad thing; nor is it a bad
thing that the story is framed in a slightly spiritual or metaphysical setting, although
it is a distraction. The production values are, however, brilliant, and the performances
superb. It moves and is also moving, and takes us into the physically as well as
emotionally different places of Jackie’s life with great success."Andrew L. Urban